[Episode Eighty-Three of ‘The Employee Advocacy and Influence Podcast] 🎧
Can employee advocacy actually outperform your paid media? Suzanne Meijer, Social Media and Employee Advocacy Specialist at TOPdesk, joins Lewis Gray and Elliot Elsley to reveal how a “dual approach” to advocacy transformed their social media strategy. In this episode, we dive into the distinction between the types of employees that share and why TOPdesk moved away from traditional ghostwriting for their CEO in favor of authentic, interview-led storytelling. Suzanne shares her blueprint for scaling employee influence without relying on expensive prizes or gamification, focusing instead on intrinsic motivation and department-level competition.
Key Takeaways:
- The interview process for turning a busy CEO’s insights into a library of LinkedIn content.
- Why you must report advocacy metrics alongside organic and paid results to prove ROI.
- The importance of categorizing employee participation.
- Strategies for maintaining long-term engagement through internal shout-outs and leaderboards.
Move From Ghostwriting to Guided Leadership Content
When working with the TOPdesk CEO, Suzanne initially tried a ghostwriting approach but found it lacked long-term engagement and personal investment. The strategy evolved into providing the CEO with content topics and guidance, allowing him to reclaim his voice while remaining engaged in the conversation. Elliot emphasizes that even a 5% change in captions can lead to a 10x increase in engagement because it resonates better with their specific audience. This shift from “doing it for them” to “guiding them” ensures leadership content remains authentic and sustainable.
Drive Engagement Through Intrinsic Motivation and Friendly Competition
Many programs depend on gamification, but Suzanne champions intrinsic motivation and a vibrant company culture. TOPdesk uses leaderboards and internal shout-outs in meetings to spotlight top advocates, instead of offering tangible rewards. Elliot asserts that departments competing against one another outperform individual incentives by leveraging natural team rivalry. This method embeds advocacy in the company’s DNA rather than treating it as a forced initiative, and it engages advocates.
Report Advocacy as a Standalone Marketing Pillar
Suzanne demonstrates the value of advocacy by reporting it as a separate line item, directly against organic and paid media. At TOPdesk, these comparisons revealed brand ambassador posts often surpassed organic reach and rivaled paid results. Elliot adds that framing advocacy metrics alongside organic social and paid ads makes the value instantly clear to senior leaders. This approach helped Suzanne prioritize effectively and win more backing for the program.
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Learn More About Employee Advocacy:
Selina Sher Gill
Selina has a Master's Degree in Marketing and Brand Management, and is DSMN8's Digital Marketing Executive. She's a pro at creating and editing video content, using these skills to create short-form social media videos and edit the Employee Advocacy and Influence podcast.
